THREE WAYS TO GET STARTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

The days of dad putting in forty hours at the factory while mom raises the kids changed, but to what?

Dad still works in a factory, but it’s a dad in China, or Vietnam, or Malaysia.

Mom hits the assembly line, too. And it’s more than forty hours.

Check the manufacturing tags on clothes and tools in a big box store for proof.

So what’s a boomer to do? What boomers have always done, start from scratch.

From the first boomers coming of age, they’ve added their own twist to life. From Cultural Revolution in the ’60’s, to Information Revolution today, baby boomers work to stay current.

Some things never change. The following are 3 Steps for pushing your personal envelope.

STAND UP

For Oregon boomers it’s easy to find a logger in the family tree. If it’s a father or grandfather covered in sawdust and the aromatic scent of pine pitch, then you remember them at your age. They were ready for a rest, ready to sit down.

That’s not one of boomer’s options today. You went to college, worked in the field, or found a job to keep afloat. Then it all changed.

Whether laid-off, made redundant, or the company relocated to a cheaper labor market, you’re starting over. But how does that work?

It begins by getting on your feet.

FIND YOUR BALANCE

At first you’re pulled every direction all at once. The choices are endless.

Do you go back to school? Buy a national franchise business? Or take a long look in your boomer mirror and make a bet on yourself?

The resourceful boomer takes inventory. What is your most marketable skill-set? Is there a place for it in the Portland business environment? Where do you fit in?

You want answers.

TAKE A STEP

If you spent decades in your industry and had the rug pulled out late in your career, you feel like the baby who first leans on a couch, then ventures out. You know what happens next, they sit down.

But they don’t stay down. They crawl over to the couch and do it again until they get two steps, then three, then you’re chasing them around the house.

If your first step into a new life starts with a young man with too much hair product on their head and promises of instant success, keep moving.

Eventually you’ll find the right connection with someone who’s been where you are, who’s headed where you want to go. You’ll see the work they’ve done. It’s the work you’ll have to do, too.

Jackie B. Peterson knows the work. She does the work so you can follow her lead before you’re on steady ground.

Because it’s Oregon, you can expect rain. Peterson’s book, Better Smarter Richer, is the umbrella you need to stay dry.

Take that step, boomer.

Blogger David Gillaspie spent 20 years with the Oregon Historical Society as a museum collection manager. His passion is seeing the story behind the objects, and he’s transformed that interest into his own business as a blogger for BoomerPDX. His blogging has been highly praised, and was acclaimed by the International Blogging Recognition Council (IBRC). You can read more about David and BoomerPDX here!